Turn with me back to Hebrews
1, Hebrews chapter 1. This morning we looked at that first word, God. Tonight I'd like to consider
what the Scripture has to say about him. I'll read again the passage we
read this morning. God, who at sundry times, that
means various, different, a variety, who at sundry times and in diverse
manners, spake In time past unto the fathers by the prophets hath
in these last days spoken unto us by his son, or actually by
son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he
made the worlds, who being the brightness of his glory and the
expressed image of his person in upholding all things by the
word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat
down on the right hand of the majesty on high." Now, God has
been pleased to speak to man. Now, that's a fact. Scripture
declares that to be so. he did so in times past, in sundry
times, different times, divers manners, that he would speak
reveals something that which we can perceive, something that
we can perceive of his mercy and his purpose to show compassion You think about this. God would
speak. We must hear from God. Man has offended Almighty God. Now, I want you to understand
that. Man, by nature, is a rebel against God. Man has already
made his decision, going to make a decision. Man has made a decision. This is what he said, ìI am not
going to obey God.î Now, when Adam disobeyed God, all mankind
said the same thing, because in Adam all died. Death reigned. in Adam. Adam was mankind. There were only two people. The
first man, Adam, is mankind. What did mankind do? He rebelled
against God. Man must hear from God. Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the Word of God. Now, just stop just a minute
and just think about that. Who is the Word? It's Christ. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Faith cometh
by hearing. How does hearing come? By the
Word of God. Revelation comes from Almighty
God by His appointed means and in His appointed time. God, the Scripture reveals here,
has revealed Himself to mankind in time past, fold by fold. Some here, some there. God, who
at sundry times in diverse spoke to the fathers by the prophets.
He spoke. Let me ask you this. Now, just think. When Adam and
Eve rebelled against God, Adam rebelled against God. Eve was
deceived, not Adam. When God Almighty came and spoke
to Adam in the garden, and He said, Adam, where are you? And
he said, I hid myself. He said, why'd you hide yourself?
He said, I was naked. He said, who told you you was
naked? Who told you that? Did you eat of the fruit? Now,
do you think God was fooled? Do you think that God didn't
know that Adam had rebelled against him? Adam had covered himself
with a fig leaf. made himself a covering. That's
what man does by nature. He's going to try to make himself
a covering. And he'll try it in whatever
way he can come up with. If he's going to be religious,
I can tell you that. But he's going to do the best
he can to make himself a covering. And he's going to sow his own
fig leaf. Well, I think this is the way.
No, I think you're wrong. I think this is the right denomination
over here. No, I don't think so. I think
this guy over here sounds right. The Lord Jesus Christ said, I
am the way. I'm the way. I'm the truth. I'm the life. No man comes to
the Father but by me. But by me. Whenever God took and slew an
animal, took the skins of an animal, something had to die
that Adam and Eve might be covered. He covered them over with some
skins. Let me ask you something. Was
God speaking? Did God speak? Yes, He did. What did He say? Well, we could
go a long way on this one without the shedding of blood, a picture
of the Lord Jesus Christ, without a sacrifice, without a covering,
without a righteousness that will stand before God. Man is
naked by nature before God, no righteousness. Self-righteousness
is all he has. I mean, was God speaking? Yes,
he was. God was speaking. He spoke in
tides and shadows. That rock that was in the desert,
in the wilderness, whenever Moses said to the Lord, ìPeople are
thirsty.î He said, ìWhat do I do?î He said, ìStrike the rock. Water
will come out.î Moses struck the rock, and the water came
out, and the people drank. And again, they were thirsty. ìWhat do I do?î The Lord told
him. He said, ìSpeak to the rock.î
And what did Moses do? He struck the rock again. God
said you won't go in. When that rock was struck, was
that God speaking? That rock was Christ. The water
of life comes from Him. How does the water of life flow?
The rock must be struck. Struck by the wrath of Almighty
God, paying the penalty of sin of the people. Was God speaking?
Yes, He was. When manna came down, I could
go on and on and on. Tithe said, God who at sundry
times and in divers manners spoke unto the fathers. He spoke by
the prophets. He sent this word, the prophet.
The word of the Lord came to Obadiah. The word of the Lord
came to Amos. And they said, I've got a word. That was God's pleasure to reveal
Himself in time past. He spoke unto us. Now, let me
ask you this. Is that saying that God had two
ways of salvation? No. Salvation has been by grace. Salvation is by Christ. Salvation
is by grace through faith and that not of yourself. It's the
gift of God, Christ alone, grace alone, faith alone. But God spoke,
it pleased him to reveal himself in different ways, in various
ways, diverse manners, sundry terms. But the Scripture says
that God has in these last days, what is that? From the time the
Lord Jesus Christ came, the last days, God has in these last days
spoken unto us by And you notice that word, his, is italicized.
He is spoken by son. This is the way in which God
speaks. Christ is the Word. The only begotten Son hath declared
the Father. No man knows the Father but the
Son, and him to whom the Son will reveal him. It is Christ
alone who speaks. In the times past, God spoke
in degrees, God spoke in different ways, but He hath now spoken
in absolute fullness. The Word was made flesh. In time past, the manifestation
of Almighty God by the Son was set forth in time past. He said that. Listen to this
in Isaiah. Here's the Old Testament. Isaiah
9, 6, Under us a child is born, under us a son is given, and
the government shall be upon his shoulders. Isaiah 7, 14 says,
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin
shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel,
and in Matthew he gives us the interpretation of that Immanuel,
which is God with us. Let me ask you, is it not so
today? Do we truly believe that we shall
be received into glory by the Lord Jesus Christ? There was
a time in which God spoke in a certain way, in diverse manners,
various and sundry ways. Now he spoke to son in son. He spoke in son. Right now, We
see things through a glass darkly. We have the Lord Jesus Christ,
who is the fullness of the revelation of Almighty God. But there's
a time coming when we're going to see face to face. We're going
to see Him as He is. And even right now, there's some
things that we still don't know. All the prophecies, the shadows,
and the types pointed to one who absolutely could fulfill
them. And in these last days, God spoke
by him, in him. Remember, Christ is God himself. He's God speaking and revealing
himself. Here is the Lord Jesus Christ.
By Christ alone, God is known. By Christ alone, God Almighty
speaks. by His Incarnation. In these
last days, God has spoken unto us by Son in His Incarnation,
the Lord Jesus Christ. Scripture said, the prophecy
said, unto you a child is born, but a son is given. When Jesus
Christ was born, born in that little stable born of Mary by
His Incarnation, Almighty God. And I realize that as I say these
things, I just touch the tip of the iceberg. God, I just realize
what can be said. I mean, I could take any of these
points, and I'm just going to make a few points here, make
a few observations. And in these few observations,
I realize that just the depth of what could be said. I mean,
it's never-ending. Eternity should not fully reveal
the infinite glory of our blessed Lord and God. But in His incarnation,
just as a thought, as an observation, Almighty God said this, I am
holy. I'm the holy God. I am. You tell Moses, go to the children
of Israel. You tell Pharaoh, you let my
people go. Who shall I say sent me? I am. I am. Holy, infinitely holy God, holy,
almighty God, absolutely because of His holiness, will not accept
a man as he is born in Adam. The blood of Adam flows in the
veins of every man born in Adam, in Adam, in Adam. They're all
born just like Him. In Adam, all die. In Adam, all
die. I could just, all right, just
stop. Just the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. What is
God saying? I am a holy God. I will not,
by no means, as we said this morning, clear the guilty. Every
man born in Adam is guilty, conceived in sin. The Lord Jesus Christ,
a Son, is given. I'm speaking in son. A son is
given. God is of pure eyes than to behold
iniquity. Christ conceived by the Holy
Ghost, this holy, this holy thing, holy thing. Man needs a Savior. God speaking in son. There's
the son. And what is God saying? Unto
you, therefore, is born this day. In the city of David, that's
what those angels declared to the shepherds. Unto you is born
this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. Who was speaking? God was speaking.
The Son was sent. The Son was given. That was God
speaking. God in His Son spoke and said,
I give you my mercy. I send my son in the Lord Jesus
Christ's obedience to the law. Here he is, the representative
of sheep, by obedience alone, by his obedience, by his obedience,
by the obedience of one, the obedience by one man's transgression. Many, many, many, many, all men. By one man's disobedience, sin,
death, hopelessness, but by one man's obedience. One man. One. How many men have ever obeyed
God? How many women have ever obeyed
God? One. One. There is one. And it is
the Son. God spoke in the Son. What did he say? He said that
without obedience, without righteousness, all men shall perish. I can't
do it. Listen, turn with me. Let me
read you something in Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy 30. Deuteronomy chapter
30. Deuteronomy chapter 30, beginning
in verse 15. Deuteronomy 30, 15. See, I've
set before thee this day life and good and death and evil. Now, just stop with me and just
apply these words as God's Word to every person, every man, every
woman. Look, here's God's demand right
here. I have set before thee this day life and good, and death
and evil, in that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy
God, to walk in his ways, to keep his commandments, his statutes,
his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply. And the Lord
thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess
it." Now, you think what he has just said. I have set this before
you. Now look, let's everybody just
be honest about it right now. Is there anybody that has ever
done that in himself? Anybody that has ever, ever walked
in God's ways, kept His commandments, His statutes, His judgments?
I'm going to be real honest with you. I don't understand the depth
of His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments. I don't, I
can't possibly, I don't know the depth of it. I don't know
the depth of obedience. I don't know the depth of my
rebellion. I'm just an ignorant, blind man by nature. I don't
know. Do it and live. But if, verse
17, if thine heart turn away so that thou wilt not hear, but
shalt be drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I
denounce unto you this day that you shall surely perish, and
that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whether thou
passest over Jordan to go to possess it, I call heaven and
earth to record this day against you. I have set before you life
and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life, that both
thou and thy seed may live, that thou mayest love the Lord thy
God, that thou mayest obey his voice, that thou mayest cleave
unto him. For he is thy life, the length of thy days, that
thou mayest dwell in the land. where the Lord sware unto thy
fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, to give them." God was speaking
to Israel concerning going to the promised land. That's a picture
right there. That's a picture of man and the
demand of Almighty God upon him. I set before you life and death. I set before you life and death.
Choose life and live. You turn, you disobey me, and
you will perish. You will perish. When the Lord
Jesus Christ came into this world and walked before Almighty God,
there is my representative. If I am in Him, if I know Him,
if I trusted Him, He's my representative. If Almighty God has given me
a heart to lean upon Him, to trust Him, to cry out to Him
for mercy, to trust Him alone, Him alone, not me in Him, not
me raising my hand, Not me walking down this aisle. The only difference
in me and you is 20 feet, 10 feet, 50 feet. Geography hasn't
got anything to do with it. A man comes to Christ by faith.
Almighty God spoke in the Lord Jesus Christ in His obedience.
He sent His Son. He spoke. He spoke. This is my
demand. And Christ Himself said, I came
to do the work of Him that sent me. In Christ's crucifixion. God Almighty said this, I'm a
just God, soul that sinneth is not going to die. We behold Christ
upon that cross, not making salvation possible, as I said this morning,
but redeeming His people, redeeming them, paying their debt, putting
away their guilt. The Lord Jesus Christ is God's
Word. God speaking by son is more than
that which the human ear can possibly hear. How many times,
I've said this before to myself, I'll say it to you again, how
many times did I hear the gospel before Almighty God gave me a
ear to hear? I heard it with this ear, and
I remember it was a I've heard that before, but that's a strange
thing. Oh, but there was a time when
I heard, turn with me to John 10, John chapter 10, the gospel
of John 10. Oh, these marvelous truths, they
are perceived only by God's grace, John 10, verse 1, saying to you,
he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth
up some other way, the same as a thief and a robber, but he
that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep
to him. The porter openeth, and the sheep
hear his voice, and he calleth his own sheep by name, and he
leadeth them out. The Lord Jesus Christ the shepherd. He is the door. He is the door. And the porter opens the door. The Spirit of God who speaks
of Him opens. And the sheep hear His voice.
They hear it. They hear it by faith. There
is a hearing of faith. Look at verse 16 of this same
chapter. Other sheep I have which are
not of this fold, them also I must bring, and they shall Hear my
voice, and there shall be one foal and one shepherd." They'll
hear. Why will they hear? Because God's going to speak
to them. God's going to speak. Look at verse 27. My sheep, they
hear my voice, and I follow them. I know them, and they follow
me. God speaks, and He speaks by Son. And the sheep, they hear. They hear. When God calls, they
come. Effectually, they come. They
hear His voice. Someone says, How do you know
it's the voice of God? You know. You know. His Spirit bears witness with
our spirit that we're the sons of God. We see Him in the Scriptures. We behold Him in the world. We
hear His voice. It's a voice that's heard only
by I've heard people tell me things, you know. God spoke to
me. He came to me one day and spoke to me. I was in my bedroom,
I said, and He actually spoke to me. I heard Him in a vision.
I saw Him in a dream. I said, God who at sundry times
and in diverse manners spoke unto the fathers by the prophets.
And there was a time. I can read Scriptures that talks
about a vision. God sent a vision. God sent a
man a dream. And it was so, but he hath in
these last days spoken unto us by son." God Almighty speaks
by His Son. That's the only way He speaks.
He speaks by Christ. He speaks by Him. And the means
of it is the proclamation of the gospel. A man stands up.
I stand up here, and I want to speak, as I said this morning,
respectfully of Almighty God. Set him forth. And you hear words. You're hearing words. You understand
these words that I'm saying. But if you hear only in word
only and not in power, it's not God speaking. Because when God
Almighty speaks to His people, they hear. They believe. They
have a heart after Him. I've told some of you this little
illustration. It was by my daughter. My daughter
said this. And I thought, boy, that's about as good as I've
ever thought of. A few years ago, my youngest daughter came
to me and she said, Dad, I want to confess the Lord in baptism.
And she said, you know, I've heard people say that, you know,
you have a head knowledge. What's the difference in a head
knowledge and a heart knowledge of knowing Christ? What's the
difference? I've heard that before. Head
knowledge and heart knowledge. And I know that there's some
things that I got to know. In my mind, there's some things
that I know. I mean, there's got to be some
understanding somewhere. But this heart of Scripture speaks
of the heart. What does it mean? And she said,
you know, I've listened to you preach a long time. And she said,
I could give a good argument for what you're saying. If I
heard someone speaking disrespectfully, talking about preaching and talking
about man having a free will, You know, man has a free will,
and God wants to do that. She said, I knew that that was
not like what you were saying. I could give a good argument
for what you were saying. But she said, you know, the thing
was, I just didn't have a heart for it. Just didn't have a heart
for it. Hmm. She said, I believe this. I believe God's given me a heart
for Christ. give me a hunger for him. I told
her, I said, you know, that makes a lot of sense to me. I've got
a head knowledge of communism, but I don't have a heart for
it. If I had a heart for it, I'd be a communist. A man, a
woman that God Almighty calls, calls by his grace, he gives
them a heart for it. He loves them. A man loves his
wife. He has a heart for her. That's
my wife, sitting right there. I've got a heart for her. I love
her. See that? Almighty God. He said, I'm going to remove
that stony hard flesh and I'll give you a new heart. God Almighty
speaks. God's people see. They see in
that crucifixion. They see in that incarnation.
They see in His walk of obedience." That's God speaking, and He's
speaking in Son. He's speaking in Him, and only
Him. Only Him. He's the only one.
He's the only one I want to hear about Him, God speaking. This is what God has spoken.
He said, And I'm going to wrap this up. He said, I've appointed
him heir, whom he hath appointed heir of all things. He owns all things. He is the heir, since he is the
heir of all things. Heir has to do with sonship. I've got a son. I've got some
daughters and children. I've got some children, and they
are the heirs of whatever I've got. It may not be much, but
whatever it is, they give it to me. They're the heirs. He
is the Son. He's the only begotten Son, and
he's the heir of all things. Let me ask you this. If he is
the heir of all things, he's the heir of all things, what
does that leave me? If I be not a joint heir with
Him, what does that leave me? Nothing. Condemnation. Rejection. If I be not found with the Son,
if I have no part with Him, if I be not a joint heir with the
Son, I'm lost. For man be without Christ as
a joint heir. All that Christ is, possesses
his mind by the imputation of his righteousness to me and my
association with him, and that by God's eternal grace. By him also, the one who God
has spoken of, my son, by whom also he made the worlds. He made the worlds. God has spoken
in creation by the word saying. This is what he said, the Word. He's speaking by the Word of
God Himself, Christ Himself, the Word. All power by Him, that's
what Scripture says. He made the world, the ages is
what that Word actually is. He made the ages. All power is
given unto the Son. All power is given unto the Son. Now let me ask you something.
How much power do we have apart from the Son? None. None. Well, yeah, but surely
I have the power to be able to choose Him if I decide to. All power is given unto the Son
in heaven and in earth, since Almighty God has created all
things by Him. He alone is the giver of life. He alone, all power. God Almighty,
who speaks by Son, says in verse 3, "...who being the brightness
of his glory." Moses said unto the Lord, he said, "...show me
your glory." And God said, "...I will cause all my goodness to
pass before thee, the Son." is God's Word of His goodness and
mercy and grace and compassion in the Son. All that we know
of Almighty God is set forth. God's glory is the sum of His
divine perfection, and Christ is the fullness of the Godhead
bodily. These words that I'm speaking
right now, these words are too high for me. These words are
too magnificent for me. I become speechless. I realize,
even saying them, I can't perceive the depth of them. I hear them. I long after them. Lord, teach
me of Yourself. Teach me. But I know this, who
being the brightness of His glory, God Almighty, who commanded the
light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ. He is the brightness. God is
light. And Christ is the brightness
of God's glory, like the sun rays. I see the sun rays. I see the sun rays. the manifestation
of the Son itself. All that God is, not only in
His ways, but in His being, is expressed absolutely in Christ. And again I say, I know that
I see through a glass darkly. But I see. But I see Him. I see Him. And I know, I know
this, if I get to Him. Just like that woman that had
the issue of blood. She had gone to all these doctors
and wasted everything she had. And it was none better, none
better. And that day, she saw him. She
said, if I could get to him, if I could touch his garment,
if I could touch the hem of his garment, I'll be whole. I don't
understand the depth of Almighty God. I know that. I don't perceive
the depth. of the son, I can't perceive
the wonder of his word, but I know this, I know just enough to know
this. If I get to him, if I'm in him,
if I be with him, if I be found in him, I read these blessed
words, I hear what the father, what God Almighty has said concerning
the son. And I think to myself, Lord,
oh, to be found in you. This is why I need to be here.
I want Him. This is what I want. God gives
me a heart after Him. This is what I need. He's what
I need. He's who I need. God's light shines forth in Christ,
who is the light, and He is the express image of His person. He is the express image, means
the impressed of his substance, of his person, not merely implied,
but exactly, exactly, the exact image of the invisible God. The Old Testament saints could
not perfectly express God Himself. They couldn't. God, who at sundry
times and in diverse manner has spoken to the fathers by the
prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us. in the express
image of his person. That's what he said. Express
image. That omnipotence should be concealed
in a servant's form. That the eternal one should become
the infant of days. This is the great mystery of
godliness. But to the believer, this is
without controversy. Without. And then lastly, God
has spoken. in His administration, upholding
all things, the Scripture says, by the word of His power. He's
the heir of all things. He made the worlds, made the
ages, and carries or supports all things. All things called
into being and preserved all things from reverting back to
nothingness. He who came to this earth in
servant form is the sustainer of the universe. He's been given
power over all flesh and every movement in heaven and earth
is directed by Him. You remember the waves when the
disciples were out there in the boat and the Lord stood up and
He spoke to the waves and He said, Be still and obeyed. He's the Master. He upholds all
things by the works of His power. And when this Son spoke, God
spoke by the putting away of sins, He said, when He had by
Himself. by himself." Boy, we stay right
there for a while. When he had by himself, by himself,
purged our sins. When he, without my help, Without
your help, without your word of giving Him your permission, when
He had by Himself, the Scripture says, purged our sins. When He had by Himself purged
them. He purged them. He purged them.
It doesn't say He tried to purge them. When He had by Himself
washed them away, purged them. Purged them. When he had by himself,
the cross was the great stumbling block of the Jews. But here the
Spirit of God sets forth his cross as being the highest of
the glories set forth to the Father. The putting away of sins
of his people by himself brought glory to the Godhead and eternal
blessing to the elect. Glorified God came to this earth
to purge our sins. the blood of Jesus Christ, his
Son, cleanses us from all sin. And then the scripture says,
when he had purged our sins, he sat down. He sat down on the
right hand of the Majesty on high. God spoke in Christ's exaltation. God spoke. You think about what
the Lord said, what God said when he received him. When the
Lord Jesus Christ descended into heaven, the scripture said, when
he purged our sins, he sat down on the right hand of the majesty
on high, the one who was made flesh, who humbled himself who
was made of no reputation, became obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross, has been highly exalted. Highly exalted above all principality,
power, dominion, and every name that is named. And when he purged
our sins, he sat down. He is at the right hand of the
majesty on high. And there is our intercessor. He ever lit it to make intercession
for us, sitting, dignity, the King, the finished God is saying,
God said, God said, in son, it's finished. God said, that's my
son, in whom I'm well pleased. All that are found in him has
no condemnation. God, who at sundry times in divers
manners spoke unto us, spoke unto the fathers. by the prophets,
having these last days spoken to us by son, by son. One day there is coming a time
when all of this, this mortality, we put on immortality. And in
that day we shall behold him and see him face to face, see
him. And in that day the wonder of
the glory of God Almighty's grace Oh, eye hath not seen, ear hath
not heard, never entered into the heart of man what God has
prepared. But I'm telling you, the sheep,
they hear God's speech. He calls them by it, they hear
it. Our Father, how thankful we are that we can behold the
wonder. And, Lord, we realize that, oh,
we see little, but, Lord, we see. We realize that, Lord, these
wonderful and magnificent truths are concerning Christ, who is
the truth, all truth. We pray that you would cause
us. truly to hear. We pray that your people might
be settled on this blessed gospel, and Christ be honored, for it
is in his name that we pray. Amen.